Meet The Artist: Lisa Solomon

Hmm. My creative path was really sparked by my paternal grandmother and grandfather Shirley and Sidney, and my mom. My grandma knit and crocheted and embroidered and really encouraged me to make things. My mom was also naturally gifted in the making department - she could draw whatever I wanted on demand and often hand made gifts. My grandfather was an all around fix it man. He taught me how to wire electricity - take things apart and put them together. He helped me to be fearless and to realize that you could pretty much get anything done if you worked at it.

I didn’t really think about art as something to pursue until i went to college at UC Berkeley. Bay area legends Katherine Sherwood, Richard Shaw, Mary Lovelace O'Meal, George Miyasaki, Kevin Radley… all really shaped me. Then it was graduate school with Hung Liu and Ron Nagle and Gail Wight. all these people encouraged me to find my voice, to utilize materials in ways that made sense to me. 

My work is really all over the place. I still often start or end my studio practice with a color mediation, but the bulk of my studio work is finding an idea and researching it, creating from and through it until I've reached a logical conclusion. often I’m looking to understand myself and my surroundings, but more specifically I’m continually exploring my bi-racial identity. Attempting to connect to culture/history that I don’t have immediate access to. My mother is Japanese - born and raised - and I feel a deep connection to that part of my heritage . every time I go to Japan there is a pull, something in me that feels both at home and a foreigner.  and here in the states, I feel the same. Other people I know who are biracial - we often talk about feeling in between, or hybrids.

My work is also centered around these ideas - I often feel inspired by a material, but then use in a “wrong” or different way. I make sculptural pieces that live on the wall, or drawing and paintings that have 3D elements. My process is part chaos, part scientific method. I try to embrace the intuitive, but also like things methodically plotted. I gravitate towards materials that perhaps are more familiar in a “craft” setting. I like multiples, shifting scale, and lots of color. Always color. 

In my color workshop class we take a couple of prompts from the book and work through them together. Of course in person I can actually demo how versatile watercolors are and I can immediately help someone if they are struggling to make a purple that they like. I always have students share their completed prompts and we all always marvel at how different everyone’s take on the same assignment is. I think that’s one of my favorite things about teaching. watching the students run with a prompt and get inspired by color, the medium and each other.  each class wraps up with a  color meditation. I usually have students do a quick guided one first so that they can compare and see if they feel the same effects doing a traditional meditation vs. a painting one.

I love that arch is one of the last non corporate art stores in the bay area. The store itself is meticulously and beautifully curated and it was an honor to be asked to teach after Field Guide came out. Now that we’ve “made it” through the pandemic and are returning to in person classes Arch was on my list of places to return to. 

OMG. Where to start? I’m endlessly inspired by so many things. I always return to Agnes Martin and Louise Bourgeois. Eve Hesse. The visitors by Ragnar Kjartansoon and Kara Walker’s new piece at SFMOMA are 2 things I’ve been thinking about again and again. All the teachers I listed above are great. I work on this color project with my friend [we call it Chroma and we’ve done it in Baltimore, SF twice, DC and next summer in Japan] Christine Buckton Tillman is always an inspiration. The bay area art scene is FULL of talented people - Libby Black, Sydney Cohen, Mitra Fabian… there’s too many to mention. If you just scroll through who I follow on Instagram I feel like you won’t be bored. 

Aww. That’s so nice of you to say. I’m actually embarking on another book… all about art and craft. This is such a contentious topic - some people think they are one in the same, some believe that a huge divide still exists…. I’m going to give my own take on the topic. To be honest, my entire artistic career has been about that line and how it exists/blurs… and there will 20 artist/maker contributions and projects for people to make. Also, there’s Chroma Japan which I mentioned above. In fact, if anyone wants to contribute items for it, we’re collecting…. I have a show in LA up through October 26th at Walter Maciel Gallery. My goal is to just keep making/thinking/looking until i am physically unable to. 

Hoo, boy. I feel like there are so many myths about being an artist, so don’t fall into any of the traps - AKA no one can define your life as an artist but you. While making art can be and is often very fun, it will not always be, and that’s OK. I don’t think there is a right or a wrong way to approach your creative journey - and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I'd also say that sometimes it’s not about inspiration but discipline - (just) Do. The. Work. Ask questions - a lot of questions - of yourself, your friends, other creatives you meet. 

My website is chock full of stuff - www.lisasolomon.com and then of course instagram: @lisasolomon or @a_field_guide_to_color.